Russia may block Facebook in 2018

Russian controlling service over telecommunications Roskomnadzor can block Facebook in 2018, if the company does not transfer personal data of Russian users to the territory of the country.

This was stated in an interview with the Interfax agency by the head of Roskomnadzor Alexander Zharov.

The official said that Facebook can be blocked following the same scenario as it have happened to LinkedIn. Zharov stressed that “there are no exceptions.” However, he noted that Facebook is not planned to be checked for compliance with Russian legislation any time in 2017.

The law on the storage of personal data of Russians on the territory of Russia has been in effect since September 2015. Roskomnadzor can block access to online resources that violate the law. In 2016, Russia was the first to block one of the largest foreign social networks LinkedIn.